Spring Azure
This was a midsummer sighting of what looks to be a Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon) butterfly though the scene had a much colder feel to it. The lepidoptera season is certainly ending this week…
Read MoreStormy Skies
This late astronomical fall and early meteorological winter has felt a little different than last year’s El Niño conditions to say the least. We are seeing and feeling far more typical weather rather than the much above average temperatures the previous season yielded. Here is a picture of Stratford Point from my archives showing a very stormy sky near sunset in the middle of winter with a fair amount of snow on the ground. How much snow are you looking for this season? We may get plenty across the Northeast and Great Lakes, and that is good news for our “Nature at Your Fingertips”...
Read MoreFocus on Nature XIV Reception Friday
Focus on Nature XIV December 3, 2016 – April 9, 2017 Organized by the New York State Museum RTPI is pleased to welcome Focus on Nature XIV, an exhibition organized by the New York State Museum, to the walls of our galleries. Like Roger Tory Peterson, the artists featured in this show demonstrate the role illustration plays in natural science research and education, to stimulate curiosity about the world. These works represent a marriage of pleasure and practicality – wherein the artist’s keen observations and sensory interpretations of their subjects are exquisitely...
Read MoreGray Ghost & Winter Raptors
We are now in the beginning of meteorological winter and nearing the start of astronomical winter. Our birds, as usual, are already prepared for the season however we wish to define it, having migrated, irrupted, or dispersed to wintering grounds throughout the region, continent, or perhaps even out of our hemisphere. Those that remain with us have evolved to cope with the freezing conditions and heavy snowfall. One such species is the Northern Harrier, and last week I photographed this adult male “gray ghost” while it was hunting. Look at that gaze – magnificent! The Roger...
Read MoreMapping Global Temperature Changes
This is a sobering graphic via the Twitter feed of Ed Hawkins (https://twitter.com/ed_hawkins), Climate scientist at the University of Reading. He said, “When considering changes in global temperature, it’s always important to look at the big picture, rather than obsess over short-term effects” which is why something like the cold and snowy days in the winter are not an indicator of how the planet is feeling. Our lives encompass a very small span of time compared to that of the Earth itself, and we often do not have an appropriate sense of the environmental and climate...
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